Dear Editor,
I have concluded that this country has left behind the standard of liberty it once held so dear.
Our U.S. government, under the U.S. Patriot Act, can lawfully, “sneak and peek” into our homes without notice, without warrant and without individual probable cause and never has to inform us of their invasion!
The Federal Government also has the right to a blanket wiretap of all phone conversations and Internet transactions. They also, by law, can hire you, me or anyone to spy on another person and you do not have the right to decline or speak to anyone about being hired to do so or you would be violating the law.
Are we so confident that this is the land of the free? The Patriot Act and other acts like it diminish our most widely revered individual rights and are in direct violation of the amendments in our Constitution.
The 342-page Patriot Act is not easily understood (no accident, I am sure) but I found it possible to decipher with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union, whom I applaud for their efforts to protect our constitutional rights.
Democracy, our rights and the freedom that this great nation represents cannot be sacrificed in the name of national security.
I am tired of hearing that we must sacrifice our rights and freedoms under the pretense of preserving our rights and freedoms.
In times of war, it is sometimes necessary to forgo some civil liberties, temporarily, but the U.S. Patriot Act and the Bush administration have made permanent provisions that go far beyond necessity.
As fellow citizens, I beseech you to stay informed and become active in preserving our rights as Americans!
Concerned citizen, mother, wife, nurse and student of ETSU,
– Kellie Heitmann

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